As a designer, I don’t meet clients at every project whose taste and dreams I can “read” immediately and who are open to my ideas. For this project I developed a concept of rather unusual materials and layouts, and I was thrilled when the clients received my suggestions with lively interest and reciprocated with creativity and lots of stimulating ideas of their own.

In this relatively small garden, it seemed as though the spaces needed for dining, lounging and just hanging out would leave us with lots of paved areas with no room left for softening and interesting plants. We therefore opted for raised planters as they not only make use of the smallest spaces by “going vertical” but also create dividers and add “weight” to the landscape. Since in a small landscape they are exposed to close scrutiny, it is important that they be made from a good-looking material. We found that controlled-rusted (or “weathered”) steel would work well with the house’s architecture and the existing copper accents used as end caps on roof beams and fence posts.

Shade sails protect the dining area from the hot noon sun

Now that weathered steel was introduced in a “cubist” way, we not only used it for the planter troughs, but also for several gas-fired lights and a low-volume fountain, as well as for the edging of lawn, of the raised sitting area and of the pebble-filled French drain around the pool. And from here the other “hardscape” materials seemed to flow seamlessly: Glass tiles for the pool; bamboo for the outdoor kitchen cabinets, and synthetic fabric for the shade sails.

Water in the fountain adds sounds and movement

As we went from conceptual design to reality, creative solutions were worked out, from unexpected finger-prints on the weathered steel and the inner workings of the fountain troughs, to the finishes of concrete and stone. With the collaboration of all parties involved and the contractor’s meticulous attention to detail (Schenck Building Company in La Jolla at http://www.schenckbuildingcompany.com ) this project was well and timely executed.

This project was one of the most satisfying transformations that I have worked on, and in this neighborhood it presents a dramatic deviation from the traditional Rancho Bernardo landscape which consists of large lawns and foundation plantings. To be frank those lawns and usually clipped foundation shrubs don’t create much interest, and I hesitate calling these “gardens”; they rather invite me to yawn.

Fortunately, the homeowner shared this feeling and wanted all his lawn removed: He felt that he had neither an enticing space to indulge in his love for tropical plants, nor that the existing patio offered sufficient room to entertain his family and friends, and that a lawn would not serve him any longer. Although the outside of the home did not reveal the client’s taste, I noticed many modern art objects inside his home. A little bored with the ubiquitous curved and “free-form” lines for pathways, lawns and patios, I hoped he would be open to a more modern or contemporary approach to the desired re-design of his landscape, and I was excited when he said he was.

I was now free to examine whether an orthogonal or right-angled arrangement of spaces and elements would work, and it turned out that the combination of both would produce the best results: Since the existing patio was not only crammed into the smallest portion of his back yard but also too close for comfort to a more private and quieter sitting area that he wished to create by his bedroom, the dining and entertainment terrace needed to be moved out into the garden, into the previous lawn area had been. A patio of the desired dimensions would only fit if set at a 45 degree angle to the architectural lines of the house.

This invited to repeat the angular layout in the walkways that connect the main patio with a small breakfast area by the front entrance as well as with the quiet-zone by the bedroom: Colored smooth concrete pavers of varying size cross a garden that is populated with a variety of tropical and subtropical plants. Even the fenced utility enclosure jots out at a 45 degree angle from the house.

While the quiet-zone at the bedroom received a traditional shade cover with a slightly sloping roof, the homeowner splurged in a custom peaked-roof trellis over the dining patio– a fun variation from the traditional flat roof that is more economic to install.

In order to keep the water bill moderate and with an eye to sustainability, I combined many brightly colored sub-tropical moderate water-users: the magenta-flowering succulent Rock Purslane Calliandra surinamense, intensely blue Catmint “Blue Wonder” , orange-red Lantana, Blue Hibiscus Alyogyne huegelii, Golden Wonder Senna Cassia splendida ‘Golden’, Firecracker Broom Russelia equisitiformis and Cape Honeysuckle Tecoma capensis, with thirstier tropical plants such as Princess Flower Tibouchina, Pink Trumpet Tree Tabebuia impetiginosa, and flamboyant Canna Lily Canna. Most of these plants are easy to maintain (the Canna perhaps needs a little more attention to keep it clean looking) yet moderate in their water consumption. With separately timed (drip) irrigation stations a combination like this conserves water yet allows the garden the tropical feel that the client desired. And since he knows that his drip irrigation system is quite adaptable to add-ons, he is happily continuing to bring in exciting finds of his own selection.

In my first landscape design consultation with Rob and Lisa, I found a familiar scenario: Unable to agree on what the main focus in their garden design should be and concerned that a design would force them into sacrificing his or her desires, they hoped that I could find a solution that both of them could be happy with.

Their Mediterranean-style house was built on the edge of a slope; the long and narrow back garden was wide open to a magnificent 180 degree view of the valley and the hills beyond, unspoiled by housing developments. Their wish list for this part of their property was typical: A small patio, situated at one end of the house by the breakfast nook, to enjoy the morning sun; at the other end of the house, a spa pad surrounded by fragrant plants; and between these two areas, by their dining room, the main patio where they would entertain. On these things Rob and Lisa agreed; hoping to achieve them without sacrificing the complete view for the sake of creating more separate and private spaces, especially for the spa area, seemed unrealistic.

There was no doubt in my mind that Rob and Lisa’s back garden that presented itself like a long hallway between house and slope, needed to be divided into separate areas. Also, without any sort of screening the spa would have been visible from the “morning” patio at the other end of the house, and nobody taking a bath there would have felt privacy in such an exposed place.

My first step was to seek a way in which the break-up into separate spaces could be achieved while preserving as much as possible of the beautiful view. I devised imaginary transparent “walls” to do this but left large “windows” in them: Raised planters flanking the main patio would represent the lower part of the walls, plants in the planters would be the upper part, and looking over and through the plants would be like looking through windows so that the 180 degree view was not diminished. I placed arbors in the planters whose beams would be reaching across a passage through the planters, thus creating an overhead ceiling and framing the “doors” in the walls. Vines on the arbors would soon be adding a leafy décor. An added benefit of the low planters was their height: At 18 inch height their wall caps would provide added seating at the entertainment area

While the planters were now framing the main patio, they also divided the long back garden into three distinct spaces, and by separating the main patio from the spa area, a good portion of the demands on this space were now met. It still needed to be less exposed, and this was achieved by creating an 18 inch deep pit into which the spa was lowered. Both Lisa and Rob were now ready for a real compromise: We erected a wooden trellis behind the spa that soon would be supporting a fragrant Jasmine; a seedless “Little Ollie” Olive that can be easily pruned “lacey” and transparent would add protection from the wind as well as an additional screen. Both elements would intensify the sense of privacy for the spa user – and the view into the valley was still almost 180 degrees.

We planted low-growing drought tolerant (“xeric”) Mediterranean-type plants such as Lavender Cotton, White Rockrose, Blue Fescue, Iris, Blue Queen’s Wreath, Sages, Wormwood, Lavender, and roses…. and signature trees such as Olives, Cypress, London Plane Tree, Pomegranate, Citrus and other fruit trees. For fragrance by the spa we used Hyssop, Catmint, Germander, Thyme, and Angelwing Jasmine on the trellis. The California Natives on the rocky slopes would provide a colorful transition from the local chaparral to the garden-space: Mountain Lilac, Flannel Bush, Toyon, Redbud, Coyote Mint, Evening Primrose etc. would also draw birds and other wildlife closer to the house.

With mulch and DG for the garden paths, and local field stone used for the raised planters, the sustainable hardscape materials felt like they really belonged in this landscape. When the plants were beginning to grow in, softening the outlines of the structures and draping around statues, urns and fountain, the feeling of this garden was convincingly Mediterranean, and yet so Californian.

I am fortunate that I can experiment to some extent in my own garden with layouts and plants touted “drought tolerant” and “water wise”, and that I can practice the techniques of planting, maintenance and water conservation that I explain to my clients.

Plants have always been my passion, but in our hot inland valley during the long hot summer months and no rain in sight until late November or December, and with fast draining DG soil (decomposed granite), proper watering becomes important, and determining the right irrigation amount, frequency and duration is an on-going task.

In the past years our reservoirs have emptied to very low levels and water prices have shot up. First I learned to recognize drought stress, and then it became obvious that my planting design needed to become more sustainable: I had too many plants with greater water needs than I felt was warranted, and the remaining ones were too close together, requiring more water and more maintenance to remain tidy. Out came many popular plants, such as as Garden Penstemon, Kangaroo Paw and Lamb’s Ears, and most of my roses were sacrificed as well (I’m down to one that can do with less water – the climber Mermaid).

Although it may sound like a painful sacrifice, it was not: On the way to that easier-to-maintain and less thirsty garden I am discovering many beautiful plants that are doing very well here, like Flannelbush or Mountain Lilac from California, Proteas from South Africa, Texax Ranger from the Southwest and Northern Mexico, succulents from South Africa or California itself … the list is long and exciting, and I will be writing in more detail about some of these exceptional plants in future posts.

Here are some tips and techniques to keep the ornamentals and the vegetables in your garden healthy and good looking through these hot months:

Lots of mulch: I try to keep the layer at least 3 inches thick, on top of the soil around trees and shrubs and in between my perennials; even in my vegetable garden I try to apply it where possible. I prefer a medium textured bark or similar mulch with pieces of about one-inch in size; this will allow water to pass quickly through the mulch into the soil instead of being retained by the mulch. My irrigation system applies water infrequently and deeply; this keeps the mulch dry and optimizes its water-saving potential. Every year I replenish a good inch of this layer as it decomposes slowly, enriching my soil.

Mulch is probably being put to good use in your garden, too: The multiple benefits of this material can hardly be gained otherwise. But you might have some areas where mulch is difficult to apply, as in a vegetable garden. Here shallow cultivation between watering cycles, with a hoe to 2-3” deep, loosens the soil, destroys weeds, aerates the roots and assists in reducing water needs. (Be careful not to injure delicate surface roots around tomatoes and corn.)

My most practical, diagnostic gardening tool is a soil moisture probe: This is a stainless steel tube, about 24 inches long, fitted to a comfortable T-handle. When pushed into the soil and pulled out again, a partial cut-out in the long end of the tube lets me check the plug of soil in the tube: I can see how deeply my watering has penetrated, or how much remaining moisture is in the soil if I am unsure whether it’s time to water again. It also allows me to see how deep the roots have grown and, subsequently, how far down my watering should penetrate. If I suspect a disease, such as a fungus rot, the roots in the soil plug tell me how healthy they are by their looks and feel: If they are grayish, soft and mushy, they are ‘sick’ and unable to perform their job. The smell test is important, too: a healthy soil has a good earthy smell, so if that’s off I know that a soil-borne disease is troubling my plant, or that the roots have died because of too much water.

In my landscape design work and horticultural consultations, too, this probe is invaluable: Together with a drainage test it helps me determine my client’s soil type and guides my selection of the plants that will grow in this soil (usually we send a soil sample to a spealized laboratory to be analyzed for its texture and nutrient content). This tube is well worth its cost of around $65 (check with the irrigation and landscape supplier Hydro-Scape, 5805 Kearny Villa Rd, San Diego at http://www.hydroscape.com/ )

"Christiane, your design is beautiful. Viewers love the design and color. Thank you so much for all your support while the project was being developed. It would have been more stressful for me had you not held my hand regularly.”